[nostatic]

Is it just me, or is the "slr" market getting really fractured and complicated these days? The Canon 5D has full frame (although that is a misnomer...it just is the same as 35mm) as does the D3. Olympus has the 4/3 standard which hasn't really lived up to the promise of smaller and lighter, but they now have live preview (are you listening Wayne?) and Leica/Panasonic has made some amazing lenses in that format. I'm pondering the DMC-L1 as they can be had cheap now...essentially you pay $800 for a Leica 14-50 f2.8-3.5 lens and get the 7.1mp body for free.

My hunch though is that things might shake out in the next year or two. I could see 4/3 remaining a niche player unless Leica/Panasonic come out with a killer Digilux4 body. Could it be that full frame will make the current smaller SLR sensors go away? Or maybe a two level strategy with full frame pro/prosumer and smaller for consumer.

At any rate, I can't quite convince myself to get rid of my D70 body, although my general rule of thumb is that when I can double my performance in a technology area that is important to me, that is time to upgrade. The D300 is a pretty serious piece of hardware, but it also is more complex. I had a guy at Samys today try to convince me to sell my Nikon stuff and get a 5D. Looks like a sweet camera, but while I love Canon video cameras (my XH-A1 is a stunning performer) and my SD400 has been damn-near flawless as a p&s, for some reason in SLR land I've always lusted after Nikon. Well, and Leica (hence my D-Lux 3 purchase). But while I could justify $600 for the D-Lux 3 vs. $360 for the "equivalent" Panasonic, I can't justify $2500 for the Digilux 3 vs. $800 for the DMC-L1 (were I to go 4/3).

Always more toys out there...anyone shooting 4/3?